Cannabis is moving forward in Georgia, where the medical marijuana program is slowly getting off the ground with cultivators expecting to be operational within one year.
For patients with Georgia medical marijuana cards, you’ll soon be able to purchase low-THC cannabis oil from dispensaries.
And while the cultivators will likely be limited to producing only the cannabis oil, many will be interested in how to consume the oil, which might be in a variety of ways including topically, orally, or baking it into edibles.
In this Georgia Marijuana Card Guide, we’ll cover the basics of edibles for beginners, and what edibles might look like if they come to Georgia!
What are Edibles?
Edibles are foods that have cannabis ingredients in them. They can come in all shapes, sizes, doses, and potencies, ranging from brownies to gummies, hard candies or even throat lozenges.
Cannabis does act differently when it is consumed as an edible, because the digestive system produces new compounds that don’t get created when taking cannabis through smoke inhalation or topically for example.
THC isn’t processed efficiently in your stomach, it’s actually absorbed through the small intestine.
When you consume cannabis as an edible, the cannabinoids in the plant travel from your stomach into your small intestine, where your liver starts to convert the new molecules into metabolites. This process introduces new metabolites that are created when you take edibles.
One of the metabolites that get produced is a very strong psychoactive compound known as 11-OH-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC, also called 11-hydroxy-THC).
11-OH-THC is traditionally described as being more potent than THC, but how much more potent is debated, and whether or not it is the metabolite by itself, or in combination with THC that produces the greater strength is also questioned.
Whether or not 11-OH-THC is solely responsible for the much stronger effect of edibles is up to suggestion. What is universally accepted, is that edibles are more potent and longer lasting than other consumption methods.
Can You Make Edibles with Cannabis Oil?
Yes! In fact, cannabis oil is a great product to make edibles with because the product is already in a constitution that is favorable to baking.
Typically, to make edibles you need to first decarboxylate cannabis flower, so that its compounds can be properly converted into a digestible format.
With cannabis oil, this step has already been done, and it can usually be added straight to food or drinks, or often taken by itself as organic cannabis oil is edible, although doesn’t taste particularly enjoyable.
And because the permissible cannabis oil in Georgia will be very low in THC content, the edibles that could be made from them will not be anywhere near as potent as regular medical marijuana edibles, they can still be effective and possibly even more agreeable for newer users.
How Do Edibles Work?
Edibles are almost always stronger than cannabis flower, at least in terms of potency. Whereas cannabis flower might activate immediately, and depending on dosage, have anywhere from a small to a large effect for up to an hour or two, edibles can take up to an hour or two just to activate.
And once they do start to work, the effects are reportedly much stronger than cannabis flower.
That is why special care is always taken when dosing edibles for the first time or taking new edibles for the first time. It’s always best to start slow and stay slow until you are comfortable with a product’s effects.
Edibles can come in many different product types, ranging from brownies, gummies, candies, even tinctures and lozenges are technically edibles.
Solventless cannabis oil could even technically be considered an edible by itself if there are no additional ingredients added.
In fact, many patients with conditions such as seizure disorders, cancer, and HIV even take high concentrations of cannabis oil orally, usually either Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) or Charlotte’s Web.
Edibles are particularly effective for those with lung conditions or conditions that prevent the inhalation of smoke.
Edibles can also last for a much longer time than other products, which is a very desirable characteristic for those who need to stay on a consistent treatment plant with cannabis products.
Will Georgia Sell Edibles?
This is a tricky question, because technically, yes, cannabis oil is edible already, although the state doesn’t define the product as an edible.
Although the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission has a blurb about “food products” in their FAQ page, the commission isn’t quite up to date with their medical or scientific definitions of the cannabis plant or industry just yet.
This is indicative by the overwhelming language they use to describe what the law doesn’t allow, as opposed to the limited information they offer about what it does allow from their FAQ page:
“…It does not authorize the production, sale, or ingestion of food products infused with low THC oil, or the inhalation of low THC oil through smoking, electronic vaping, or vapor.”
“…It is intended solely to protect persons with an active Low-THC Oil Registry Card from criminal prosecution for possessing less than 20 ounces of low THC oil for medicinal purposes.”
This blurb is either a copy from the Georgia Department of Public Health, or the DOH copied the blurb from the commission.
The state seems to have a misunderstanding about the fact that low-THC cannabis oil, when produced organically without adding harmful additives, is an edible by itself, and can usually also be smoked, vaped, or used however a medical patient decides once they are in possession of it.
And the inclusion that the law does not “authorize” the “production, sale, or ingestion” of cannabis oil, does not necessarily mean that it is prohibited, although the commission might prefer to have you think it is.
p.s. At the end of the day we’re not lawyers, so don’t take any of this as legal advice.
While the commission is likely being overprotective and attempting to protect their legal interests or liabilities by restricting and controlling the terminology of medication for chronically and terminally ill patients, the reality is that there doesn’t appear to be any legal impositions on patients with medical marijuana cards for how they are supposed to use their medication.
Although the commission, state, and department of health are not clear about that fact, it is a fact.
So patients can rest easy that as of right now there doesn’t seem to be any law prohibiting any specific consumption method, although citizens and legislators both should probably work to clear up the confusing language they use to address legal and public health issues.
When Can I Buy Marijuana in Georgia?
Patients with qualifying conditions can receive their medical marijuana card in Georgia, and hopefully purchase cannabis oil soon.
Cultivators are still working to become operational, and construction hasn’t started on any dispensaries yet, but the state is trying to move quickly to get a handful of cultivators up and running.
We hope to see cannabis oil available to purchase within the next two years, and it could even be within a year. Only the state can expedite the process, and right now we are still waiting for business to get up and running.
And for Georgians with qualifying conditions, there’s no better time than now to reserve your appointment and get $25 off when we start processing applications!
Get Your Georgia Marijuana Card
As a Georgia marijuana patient, you can legally purchase up to 20 ounces of low THC cannabis oil. For Georgians, this means getting the relief you need naturally and organically, and Georgia Marijuana Card is here to help.
Reserve your appointment today and get $25 off when we start processing applications!
Feel free to give us a call at (866) 781-5606, and we can help answer your questions about getting medical marijuana in Georgia